THE CATASTROPHE MATE

Chapter 3

—Carol—

He was gone? How?

He was just standing here right now…

The scream??

I immediately turned away and dashed out of the room. There was a small commotion at the front desk area…

Wait. Front desk? Adeline!

My legs moved before my mind could even catch up, carrying me across the large aisle.

“Adeline!!” “Adeline!”

She was crouched on the floor, holding her neck area.

“Someone call 911!” I yelled out at the top of my voice, squeezing my way through the crowd till I was at the front, then I knelt in front of her.

“What is it?” I asked softly, my hands moving to her neck.

Nothing!

No…no..don’t tell me—

“April fools…Carol!!” An eye soring formed on her lips.

“Oh my God!! Adeline!!” My voice shot out. “You are unbelievable..” I shot up to my feet as the crowd began to clear out.

Adeline was a character to say the least…but she was very passionate about things…and in this case, a prank.

Maybe another time I would have found a little humor in this, but not today.

“How could you scare me like that?” my tone was sharp.

“Come on…girl. Don’t be so uptight.” She purred, swinging a hand over my shoulder.

“So..how did the talk with the rich and sexy weirdo go?”

My mouth opened to say something but I stopped myself.

What the hell was I supposed to say…?

The man maybe wasn’t a human at all? Beasts or whatever might be real?

“It was something…” that was all I managed to say before turning away.

It was best I did. Knowing Adeline she would press on till she heard every single detail.

I handled a few more ‘normal’ clients for the rest of the day, but my mind wasn’t really there. It was still with that man or whatever the hell he was.

Cassien. It wasn’t just the disappearing act or the eyes changing color. It was what I felt..a feeling I couldn’t quite name. He felt it to.

I greeted Adeline goodbye before stepping out into the night.

The streets were dark and empty now, the silence almost deafening.

I’ve made this walk, every single day of the week for the past three years now, but only now did I feel intimidated or at least more on edge than ever.

The walk there was mostly uneventful till I turned the last corner leading straight to my apartment.

Then I felt it…eyes burning into my back. I snapped my head back immediately…no one.

“Come on..” I muttered under my breath. “No one is here but me.”

I continued to walk again, getting closer, but then I felt it again…this time I refused to turn.

But the further I walked, the closer the gaze felt to more. Like whatever it was…it was following me.

“Stay back!” I turned sharply again. Nothing!

“Fuck..”

I turned again and continued talking, my steps quicker.

I barely took three steps when I felt the eyes again..the hairs on the back of neck shot up as well.

This time, I didn’t walk…I ran.

My legs carried me quickly through the road, my shoes clicking sharply.

I could feel a presence now…thus wasn’t even just the eyes. Whatever it was, it was following me.

I fixed my gaze foward and continued to run.

I was almost there. Almost to my front door. But it was gaining. It was like the faster I moved, the closer it got.

Till I reached my room, my hands rummaging through my keys.

“Come on.. come on..” soon, I found it, my hands now literally shaking as I tried to open the door.

I did!

Then pulled it open, just I tried to enter, I felt a cold finger brush my back.

But i quickly forced myself in and slammed the door behind me.

My breathing was heavy and hard.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief. I was in…

I quickly forced myself to look through the window by the door.

Nothing and no one was outside…just the dark and empty street.

“There’s no one way…it has to be my mind playing tricks on me, right?”

“Maybe just anxiety or..hallucination.”

But even as I said it, I myself wasn’t so convinced.

I didn’t do much once I got back. I just poured myself a cup of chilled milk from the fridge.

It really helps to clear the brain.

And in less than an hour I was lying on my bed staring up at the ceiling.

Was it Cassien chasing me? No! No!

There was nothing. It was just my brain using my fear to play tricks on me.

But still…that meeting with Cassie earlier. That wasn’t a hallucination. It really happened. His eyes turned to one like an animal’s and he literally dissapered like the wind.

What was the explanation for that?

More thoughts came in and went by, but nothing seemed to really add up..

Eventually I was carried away by sleep, as the darkness eveloped me.

But soon…I was back there again.

Not myself, the person in the dream…I was in the fire, the building falling apart.

The figure who abandoned me..who was supposed to be my mate was walking away, leaving me to burn.

Then he stopped and then turned to face me… everything in me stilled.

That face. Those eyes.

“Cassien?”

“No!”

I jerked up quickly. It was still night…

Cassien in my dream now… was the universe trying to play tricks with me?

Gods, now I regret really taking that work. I should have just told Adeline, NO.

It would have saved a whole lot.

I was about to lie down again, when a sudden gush of wind blew into the room.

I turned to the windows. Opened?

“I swear I closed them..”

I stood up slowly with a grunt, taking small steps to the window.

I just closed it when suddenly a sudden eerie feeling

tugged at me. All the hairs at the back of my neck stood up…

Something felt off. Then—

“Hello, Ms. Carol?”

That voice stilled me as I froze to the spot.